What is Sapphire Nation?

Sapphire Technology – Who are they? 

Sapphire Technology is a global manufacturer of computer hardware, specialising in graphics cards, the most important aspect of a PC from the gamers’ point of view. Sapphire Technology is a brand with a strong presence and activeness on numerous social media platforms. For example, the company has global profiles on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Steam. Currently, the total combined audience of these profiles is over one million.

Even though social portals play a key in communication, they impose certain limits and undergo functionality changes. This applies in particular to the forms of published contents and the governing rules. Due to the limitations, Sapphire decided to create the brand’s own, fully controlled global platform, entitled Sapphire Nation.

Sapphire Nation – Why does it exist? 

The advent of numerous social media platforms has allowed the PC gaming community to address concerns and speak to companies in a more direct manner. As a result, it’s paramount for hardware manufacturers to embrace this new form of communication and create a friendly repertoire with the customer base. This is a cogent move because it improves brand loyalty and helps like-minded individuals to converse. The Sapphire Nation project was devised to provide a platform for gamers, hardware enthusiasts and tech savvy users to learn more about technological developments from accredited experts and even receive technical support. This is reflected in the wide range of topics which goes well beyond graphics cards.

Far too often, consumers are bamboozled with the number of forums at their fingertips and unsure where to access the best information. Clearly, browsing a community full of people with similar hardware is bound to yield better results. Furthermore, Sapphire’s representatives are on hand to make the RMA process much more convenient just in case any problems arise. At its heart, Sapphire Nation is a thriving community created by Sapphire users and also designed for them.

Sapphire Nation – How was it created?

Before designing the new social platform, Sapphire’s PR agency researched various blogs and communication services within the IT industry. The comprehensive analysis was vital to construct the most engaging website and determine the best methods to present imaginative content. Once the data was quantified, Sapphire worked alongside leading graphics designers, UX specialists and software programmers to construct a sleek website layout. Additionally, the Sapphire Nation logo was carefully designed to help differentiate the new community strategy from the company’s other endeavours. Throughout the website, Sapphire embedded an impressive array of hyperlinks and widgets to maintain a level of synergy across different marketing channels.

The platform’s success was defined by newsletter’s subscriber growth rate which releases on a monthly basis. As expected, the newsletter follows a similar style as the main website which showcases the thoughtful approach to this entire project. The subscriptions can grow at a blistering pace through a prominent form which appears via links in different areas of the Sapphire Nation website. On another note, the web development team adopted a non-formulaic, programmable set of tools to implement custom engines and modify subpages based on different topics.

Sapphire Nation complements the existing application “Card Selector 2.0” which allows the end-user to compare different graphics cards and make an informed decision. Once again, the application follows a similar aesthetic which exemplifies Sapphire Nation as a major component of the company’s business strategy. The Google Analytics tool was meticulously configured to accurately monitor trending discussions, and promote content which appeals to a large audience, leading to a more lively response. Sapphire’s project strategy involved clearly outlining the subject matter, required writing style and format for individual submissions. The final decision was based on communication with the brand’s target demographic and research conducted on other platforms.

Speaking of content, Sapphire ensured the published articles were relevant to the company’s background while being original and interesting to read. In particular, contributors were encouraged to relay opinions which can be challenged or discussed in additional detail by people who visit the website. The PR team endeavoured to develop a monthly publication plan and select authors with specialised expertise to maintain a high level of editorial quality. Not only that, every article is thoroughly assessed by proofreaders and professional translators which make the platform more welcoming to those without English writing skills.

Prior to launching the Sapphire Nation website, the company teased upcoming articles and included previews on popular social media platforms including Facebook and Twitter. For example, the hashtag #SAPPHIRENation was publicised to educate users about the website’s launch. Of course, this is a sensible move and creates a greater awareness with those already fond of Sapphire.

Sapphire Nation – What does it consist of? 

Since July 2016, Sapphire Nation has already amassed more than 70 original articles and a subscriber base well above 500,000. The articles cover a wide range of topics such as how to guides, overclocking tutorials, modding tips, gaming articles and technical overviews. Not only that, the Steam community group currently has 83,743 members and continues to grow at a rapid pace. Given the amount of time the website has been live, this is an impressive social reach. If you prefer video content, there’s quite a lot to keep you entertained. Here we can see footage of the Sapphire Nitro RX 460 running Battlefield 1 at 1080P 60 frames-per-second:

In addition to videos detailing the performance on modern titles, you can learn about overclocking and how to use Sapphire’s latest TriXX utility. This tool has been completely reworked and utilises a more attractive interface. Furthermore, the video walks you through the process using easy to understand terminology. Also, the information is presented in a professional manner and recorded with a high-quality microphone.

Even though there’s usually a large number of reviews for Sapphire graphics products, it’s always beneficial to learn more from different sources. Rather impressively, Sapphire Nation‘s video stream includes product overviews which provide an insightful indication of the product’s features and performance in a fair and balanced way. The video listed below already has over 17,000 views which illustrate the huge potential for videographers to have their work seen by a growing audience.

Sapphire Nation – What can it do for you?

Sapphire Nation is an accessible, social community which rewards individuals who can produce the best possible content. To be fair, the barrier to entry is quite low which means you can submit work without any previous experience. This is less daunting than trying to get your work published by a hardware magazine or renowned publication. Honestly, the overwhelming majority of roles are filed by journalists with lots of experience and it’s unlikely you’ll even receive a reply from hardware websites. Of course, Sapphire ensures the articles are worthy of being on the website and sets some guidelines.

Firstly, submissions should have 3000-6000 characters and be written in good English. Furthermore, the article should adhere to the standard formatting with two high-resolution pictures around 1500px x 1000px. Each entry needs to have a title, lead paragraph, main text, a minimum of 2 subheadings and author biography. As you might expect, there isn’t any kind of financial compensation for having your work published but it’s something to add to your CV. Recently, Sapphire ran a promotion and promised to give away two Nitro R9 Fury cards as well as two Nitro+ RX 470s to the best entries. Unfortunately, this promotion ended on the 31st October but I can see similar competitions happening rather soon.

Sapphire Nation – What does the future hold?

Judging from the information so far, Sapphire Nation is already a resounding success and has quickly become an invaluable website for fans of the brand. The upwards trend suggests the website’s traffic, comments and user submissions should continue to rise rather sharply. Also, Sapphire’s PR agency plans to add new elements to the website with the intention to improve user interaction and significance of the entire project. As awareness of the website grows among friends, family members and other hardware enthusiasts, I can see the popularity increasing at a hectic rate. Sapphire Nation has a very promising future ahead of it and further refinements can only enhance the user experience.